Welcome to Erickson Lutheran Church


We are an affirming, "open-table" congregration and all are welcome.

During December we will be transitioning our website to a new server and there may be times when the website will be down. Thank you in advance for your patience during this transition


We recognize that we are located on the original lands of the Indigenous Peoples specifically Treaty 2 and 4. We respect the Treaties and acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past and present. We are dedicated to learning the truth and to reconciliation. We are grateful for their stewardship of this land and their hospitality which allows us to live, work, worship and serve God the Creator here.



Sunday, December 22, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service. All are Welcome.


elklent


SEE BELOW FOR
  • December 2024 Service Schedule;
  • Upcoming Events:
  • Pastor's Message;
  • Council News;
  • Parklands Youth Hub - TBA
  • Erickson Lutheran Women News;
  • Facebook and YouTube information; and
  • How to Donate Information



Requests for Pastoral services for weddings, funerals and baptisms please contact our Pastor Heather Parrott-Howdle or Office Administrator at 204-636-2259 or email pastor@ericksonlutheranchurch.ca or admin@ericksonlutheranchurch.ca.

ALL SERVICES AT ERICKSON LUTHERAN CHURCH WILL NOW BE HELD 10:30 A.M. ALL YEAR ROUND.



PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Naloxone Kits are available at the Church

They are located in a clear wall holder to the right or (west) of the church mailboxes.

These were provided by SERC (Sexual Education Resource Centre) Brandon office at one of the Open Futures sessions that Krisjanis Kaktins-Gorsline organized this past month at the church.

Substance Use and the impact it has on an individual, their family and community can be a life-or-death matter. Naloxone is safe to administer and having a Naloxone kit available can save a life. Also, a frequent cause of overdose is opioid toxicity, ie: people who take prescription opioids by accident thinking they're another drug.

The kit comes with an instructional pamphlet and there is also a video to show you exactly what to watch out for if you feel someone has had an overdose, and shows you all the steps including checking for breathing, calling 911, and using the kit itself. The link to the video is included here and we hope that it won’t be needed but in case it is, we would like to be prepared. Also, please let us know if you are interested in further training, or feel that you need to take a kit with you to have on hand. Thank you

https://www.naloxonetraining.com/training/save-me-steps

-->

December 2024 In-Person Service Schedule - Subject to Change




UPCOMING EVENTS DECEMBER 2024





PASTOR'S DECEMBER MESSAGE




Spiritual Care is part of Health Care – My role

Greetings this Advent season! May God guide you in how you prepare for the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Christ child!


Luke 2: 10- 11

10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord".



In the October and November newsletter I focused on how we can observe the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” that is celebrated around the third week of January. Along the line of unity with diversity of Christian or other ways of worshipping God, I would like to share Pope Francis’ message to children in Singapore on Oct 27, 2024 - God’s love and heaven is inclusive and not dispensed to an exclusive club. “All religions are paths to reach God. They are, to make a comparison, like different languages, different dialects, to get there. But God is God for everyone. If you start to fight saying ‘my religion’ is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn’t, where will this lead us? There is only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God.”


Yes, each of us has a language for our relationship to God and that is what Spiritual Care is about. Spiritual care honors what a person believes, and a Spiritual Care provider can be called to help a person going through a difficult life or health journey to explore their feelings, their meaning and purpose in life.


I am a Pastor that also provides ‘Spiritual Care’ that is not denominational based. I provide Spiritual Care and Pastoral Care as requested to the local care homes and hospitals as well as once a month on-call at the Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC). The staff can call me to come to the bedside for a family, or at the nurses request when there is no family. Spiritual or Pastoral care can be provided through Dignity therapy concepts, in MaID situations, and for Palliative comfort for the patient and or the family.


Research has also shown that people who receive spiritual health and or pastoral care, and attend church (or faith gatherings) regularly have less absenteeism, less illness, less addictions, less crime. There is also the counter effect of ‘religion’ that has caused trauma to individuals that also needs to be recognized. Some municipalities have posted all the spiritual organizations in their region on their websites so that people are aware and can access them as they wish.

The focus this month is helping you and your families to know that Spiritual Care is available and is only a phone call away and is provided on a volunteer basis. There are some paid positions at the BRHC and in hospitals in Winnipeg as well. Spiritual Care is also available across Canada and training through the CASC/ACSS is available to anyone who is interested.


Why "Spiritual Health is Health"?


Health encompasses the whole person: the mind, the body, the emotions and the human spirit. However, Western society privileges the physical, mental and emotional needs of people, often minimizing the spiritual aspect. Let us collectively raise awareness that effective care must be holistic and include human spirituality. Just as society addresses and values the physical, mental and emotional dimension of people, the spiritual dimension of individuals should also be addressed and valued.

Recently developed by leaders in the Canadian Association of Spiritual Care, the narrative is an inspired piece of work that succinctly communicates the core of what we do. It highlights four Core Elements of the practice of spiritual care and psychospiritual therapy:


Pastoral Care is more specific to denominational liturgy or practices that may be what some palliative care patients or residents may ask for, and is what gives them spiritual comfort, so specific prayers or songs. The only thing that I am unable to do is provide last rites to Roman Catholic or Ukrainian Catholic patients/residents. I do provide have provided commendations.


Spiritual care addresses what the person themselves defines as what comforts them spiritually. i.e. facilitating general spiritual practices that the person would like help with, certain music, or poems, prayers, and helping them express their feelings of loss of their identity when they are losing their function and health, assisting them with navigating their health and or dying journey.

.


I have provided the website for CASC/ACSS for further information https://www.spiritualcare.ca/

In Peace, Pastor Heather


If you wish to receive our newsletter, calendar, notification of our services on YouTube, or other notification of services at our Church, please forward your request to admin@ericksonlutheranchurch.ca and you will be added to our mailing list or click on the following links: Newsletter, Calendar, YouTube Services.




COUNCIL NEWS NOVEMBER 2024



On Sunday, November 17th, 2024 a Special Congregational Ballot Meeting took place as to whether Christmas Eve would be celebrated on the 22nd (Option 1) or the 24th (Option 2). The results were Option 1 – 13 votes; Option 2 -1 vote and 1 spoiled ballot.


This means that this year’s Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service will be held on Dec 22nd at 7:00 p.m. There will be no service on the morning of the 22nd nor on the 24th.


If anyone has any questions or concerns please present to Council or email cat7cool@gmail.com. We continue to meet on the 3rd Thursday each month except for the month of December as the next council meeting will be December 12th at 7:00 p.m.


The New Year is approaching so anyone who might be interested to be on Council, contact Cathy Hackenschmidt.


God Bless, ELC Council



WORSHIP AND MUSIC NEWS DECEMBER 2024



The first season in the church year is Advent. The colour is blue. We can greet each other December 1st, saying, “Happy New Year”

. One of the best known customs for the season is the Advent wreath. The wreath and winter candle-lighting in the midst of growing darkness strengthen some of the Advent images in the Bible. The unbroken circle of greens is an image of everlasting life, a victory wreath, the crown of Christ, or the wheel of time itself. Christians use the wreath as a sign that Christ reaches into our time to lead us to the light of everlasting life. The four candles mark the progress of the four weeks of Advent and our growing expectation. ( Source: Bread For The Day)


The hymn we will sing after the lighting of the candles is taken from the book, All Creation Sings, “In all Far-Away Places, Jesus Comes”.


The new hymn for December is, “Psalm 121, I Lift My Eyes”.


May the Advent and Christmas season bring peace to you and yours.



Viola Burkett, Val,Wickdahl, and the choir



PARKLAND YOUTH HUB NEWS 2024



Unlike past reports this one will be quite brief.


The original funding for the PYH will cAME to an end at the end of May. This means that I will be halting my work for the time being.

We’re still waiting to hear back from the MNO Synod regarding additional funding. We also have a grant in with Healthy Together Now we’re waiting to hear about. I will also be applying for a substantial grant From the Ground Up grant through the Province of Manitoba.


I feel that our program is strong. Many of the people I speak with are very positive about what we do. We just have to wait and see what happens over the summer.


Working with the church has been a very positive and enriching experience. I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity. I hope that we’ll be able to continue working together in the future. Programs like PYH are so important to communities like ours.


Submitted by Krisjanis Kaktins-Gorsline, Director


ERICKSON LUTHERAN WOMEN (ELW)



The ELW annual christmas potluck will be held on Wednesday December 4th, 2024. All women are invited and are asked to bring their friends with them. Doors will open at 5:00pm and supper will start at 5:30 p.m.


Report Submitted by Dolores Hall



GOOD NEWS!

We have a YouTube Channel - Erickson Lutheran Church - where you may access online services.
ELC Service links will be posted on our Facebook page.


We pray for healthcare providers, vaccine suppliers, those who are ill and those who are mourning the loss of loved ones.

REMEMBER... GOD IS WITH US; WE ARE NOT ALONE.
Click here to access a Manitoba/NWOntario Lutheran service on the internet.



To receive more updates, please go to the ELC Facebook Page or sign-up for MNO Synod Newsletter for virtual services that are available at www.mnosynod.org.


Click here for information from the MNO Synod and ELCIC regarding regulations surrounding Covid-19.



How we can help to
Meet the Spiritual Needs of our Communities




HOW TO CONTINUE YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO OUR CHURCH


To continue your financial support to our church, click on “Donate Now” button on ELC Website or Mail cheque to
Erickson Lutheran Church
PO Box 414
Erickson, MB
R0J 0P0

Thank you for donations to our ministry and others

~God’s Peace to All~


If you would like to support our outreach, you can make a donation or an online offering A) via etransfer to tres@ericksonlutheranchurch.ca or B) through Canada Helps by clicking the link below.

Donate Now Through CanadaHelps.org!

If you wish to donate to The Bethel Society, please do not use Canada Helps but forward said donation by way of cheque c/o Erickson Lutheran Church. All donations using the Donate Button will go directly to Erickson Lutheran Church.



Anyone who has difficulty getting out to get supplies or food, please contact us through our Facebook page or call Mary at
Services to Seniors (204)636-7895.


Please call Cathy Hackenschmdit 204-761-5077 (Council Chair) or Pastor Heather (204)-294-9212 for Pastoral needs



Click here for
directions to Erickson Lutheran Church.






Sunday worship is at conducted at 10:30 am all year long using the Lutheran Order of Worship. The first Sunday is a Service of the Word followed by a potluck lunch. The second Sunday is Communion Sunday followed by coffee. On the third Sunday of the month, a Hymn Sing is held before worship. On the fourth Sunday of the month there a Service of the Word followed by coffee. Should there be a fifth Sunday in the month, then it is a Gospel Song Service followed by coffee.

We are located just south of beautiful Riding Mountain National Park on Highway 10, Manitoba.

All are welcome to the worship services.

Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario Synod

Please share this and encourage all members to sign up for the MNO Synod Newsletter.

We will be using Facebook, our website and our newsletter as our primary ways of communicating with members and want everyone to be informed in a timely manner.

Please CLICK HERE to read the MNO Synod Newsletter



Announcements:

While we are back into in-person services, our services will be available online on the church's Facebook site for those who are unable to come to our in-person services

Anyone wishing to be more involved with our faith community and advocacy please call us at 1-204-636-2259. May the Peace of Christ be with you!